Always There
by Writing-Gecko-Girl
Summary: A young Elladan and Elrohir return from playing by the sea with a strange tale that sends their father on a mad chase. Also - Elrond, Celebrian, Glorfindel, Maglor, Cirdan


I don't own anything, just exploring the awesomeness that is Tolkien!

This was going to be short, but then Elrond took over and moped and did things. And Cirdan butted in.

* * *

"I cannot find the twins."

Elrond turned sharply to see his wife standing behind him in the door of their tent. "What?"

She was trembling as she replied, "Glorfindel believed them to be with me, and I thought he had them."

The family of Elrond, as well as many of their friends in Imladris, had gone to visit Cirdan the Shipwright in the Grey Heavens. He had surprised them with a trip up the coast, to a beautiful cove. Elladan and Elrohir, the twin sons of Elrond and Celebrian loved the shore and spent most days dragging their current caregiver along the shore.

Elrond held her gently and tried to calm her. "Do not fear, we shall find them; they cannot have gone far. She nodded and he slowly released her. "Is Glorfindel searching for them as well?" He ran his fingers through her silvery hair and felt her relax.

She nodded. "Yes, he went searching for them and I came to get you. Elrond what if-"

He put his hand to her lips, "Do not worry, they shall be found. We shall go and fetch them now." She led him from the tent, holding his hand as they walked.

Celebrian showed Elrond to the twin's favorite rock. "I had hoped they would be here," she admitted.

Elrond looked at the tracks in the sand. "They were here recently, come along, we shall find them."

"How can you be so calm?" she demanded. "Your sons are missing!"

"Cirdan says there are no orcs in the area." He started away from the rock, following a light set of prints in the sand. "They are not babies Celebrian. Nor are they grown I agree, but they are not foolish. They were intelligent enough to trick both yourself and Glorfindel this morning."

Celebrian smiled nervously. "I suppose you are correct. I still worry!"

"Mothers do, I believe."

Celebrian reached to touch her husband's cheek. "They do," she assured him. Then with a playful smile she offered, "I am certain your mother wishes she could be here to kill you for your stupidity at times."

Her words had the desired effect and Elrond allowed himself a light grin. "Do you speak of Elwing or Maglor?"

Celebrian howled with laughter, her concern for her sons momentarily forgotten. "Both!"

Elrond allowed himself a moment to reminisce. "Elros and I used to explore the wilderness at times. We rarely felt need to burden Maglor with the knowledge though."

"What did he think of that?" Celebrian understood the treat she was getting, hearing Elrond speaking about his foster-father.

"He would come looking for us of course, and attempt to be angry. He succeeded so seldom that he took to taking Maedhros along with him to find us so that someone would scold us."

Celebrian laughed.

"Once we saw them following us and decided to climb a tree to hide, then we planned to slip back to the house and pretend to have been there the entire day. Maedhros saw us however, and merely plucked us from the tree. We had thought we had climbed far out of reach, but were barely above his head."

"Who taught you to climb trees?" Celebrian demanded. "Why from the time I could walk I was climbing trees several times my father's height!"

"Celeborn is nowhere near Meadhros height," Elrond grumbled, feeling embarrassed.

"No! But he is more than half his height I am certain."

Elrond refused to answer, instead devoting all his attention on his sons' tracks and ignoring his laughing wife.

"Ada! Nana!"

Both Elrond and Celebrian's heads shot up at their sons voices. "Elladan! Elrohir!" Celebrian shouted, rushing past her husband to hug her sons. "Where have you been?"

"I hurt my arm," Elrohir said, almost seeming proud of his injury. He held his left hand out to Elrond and pouted.

Elrond rolled his sleeve back to inspect the injury. "No lasting harm," he promised, then hugged both boys.

Elladan grinned at his brother. "I told you!"

"Where have you been?" Celebrian demanded, clutching both her sons.

"Talking to Grandfather," they chorused.

"He is here?" Celebrian asked in surprise. Elrond moaned and prayed that he would be taken to Mando's Halls before having to listen to a lecture from Celeborn on losing his grandsons.

"Well actually," Elrohir began.

"We were looking for the caves-"

"That Uncle Cirdan told us about-"

"And we found them."

"I found them!" Elrohir shouted angrily.

"By falling in them!" his twin laughed. "He shrieked like an elleth!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Boys, please continue," Celebrian interrupted, pushing the brothers apart when it began to look like they would begin to physically fight.

Elladan started this time. "So I went looking for help, and Grandfather came and pulled him out."

"Then he told us we were being foolish and shouldn't wander off."

Then they grinned evilly, as if they knew something they shouldn't. "He said that we were just like you Ada!" Elladan said. Elrond and Celebrian exchanged glances.

"You and Uncle Elros!" Elrohir giggled. Elrond suddenly realized that the boys were not talking about Celeborn. His first reaction was relief that there was no impending lecture.

"He said you wandered off all the time when you were our age!"

Celebrian asked what Elrond could not bring himself to, "Where is your Grandfather now?"

"We asked him for a story, but he just started singing and ignored us." Elrohir said sullenly. "But he led us back this way, and then pointed us to camp."

"His hand was scarred," Elladan broke in.

"But I could hear him singing behind us while we were walking."

Elrond felt tears in his eyes. "Take them back to camp," he told Celebrian.

She nodded in understanding and drew the boys to her. They were both staring at their father, unable to understand that his anger was not for them.

Elrond set off in the direction of the caves at a run. He kept his ears alert for a sound, any sound, that would lead him to Maglor. "Maglor! Father!"

He reached the caves without a sign of life. He saw marks in the sand where the boys had walked, then where one skid down an embankment to a hole. The other set of prints paced, then left the cave. He saw where he returned later with a barefooted elf. The barefoot tracks led to the incline, then he saw where Maglor had laid down and marks where Elrohir had been drug out. Then all three footprints led back out of the cave.

"Father?" he called again. "Please."

He stepped out of the cave and looked around, then saw a new set of prints. Magor had returned, passing the cave on his way down the shore. Elrond set off after the prints.

All he could think of in his mind was the bare feet and the size of the impression Maglor had left when he laid on the ground. The outline was smaller than it had any right to be, he knew it was smaller than the elf he remembered. Maglor had been a rather round elf, never overweight, but one could tell at a glance that he enjoyed a sedentary lifestyle. The elf who had left the prints would have been much thinner.

"Hello!" he shouted again.

He was hopeful, yet unprepared for the answer. Something small and circular fell to the ground next to him. He looked up to the top of the cliffs in time to see someone, a dark outline on the sun, disappear over the cliff.

He searched frantically, but could not find the way up to the cliff tops. Finally the looked down at what he had been tossed; he had shoved it into the pockets of his robes without looking. A small circle, obviously meant to be a bracelet, of harp strings braided together with bootlaces and black hair.

Only Elrond could have appreciated the gift.

Accepting that he would not be able to catch Maglor he silently headed back to camp. Soon he saw an elf running toward him, and could hear Glorfindel shouting at him.

"Elrond what were you thinking?" he was saying. "Where have you been? Celebrìan will tell nothing!"

When he reached Elrond the half-elf showed him the bracelet and he fell silent, no doubt able to unstated who must have left it. "He would not speak to me." Elrond shoved past his friend and continued to camp.

He remained silent and moody through supper, and it must have been noticed for all present gave him a wide berth. Celebrìan did as well, only after assuring him that the twins had been sworn to secrecy. He had nodded his thanks and she had told him she was going to threaten Glorfindel as well.

She must not have reached the warrior soon enough, because after dinner he was approached by Cirdan. "I heard who found the twins," was all he said.

"He would not come to me." Elrond rolled the bracelet in his hands.

"I am certain he has his reasons. Most likely he thinks he is helping you." Cirdan watched him cautiously.

"I wish to help him."

The age mariner nodded. "I know that, but I know others who would be very unhappy if you took him to Imladris."

Elrond had to admit, to himself, not aloud, that Cirdan had a point. "Then I will help him as best I can without seeing him." Already he had a plan. Since he knew about where Maglor hopefully still was he planned to take food and leave it near the cave. The apparent weight loss bothered him.

"Let me know if I can help," was all Cirdan said before leaving him to his thoughts.

Elrond gathered food, anything that could keep for long periods of time, and placed it in a satchel. Remembering the barefoot prints he took an extra pair of boots he had brought along and shoved them in the bag as well. He had no doubt they would not fit, but Maglor was resourceful enough to alter them. He tucked a knife in the bag as well, one he had been given many years ago by Celebrìan that had his name engraved on it.

Celebrìan would not mind, and Maglor might enjoy a reminder of his foster son.

He was leaving camp when Elladan and Elrohir ran to him and grabbed his legs. "Where are you going Ada?" They asked excitedly.

"To help someone," he replied, gently untangling himself from them. "If you behave whist I am gone I shall tell you a story when I return." They giggled and let go, accepting the bribe. "Tell your mother I will return shortly."

He returned to the caves and stood outside. Feeling slightly foolish and praying no one heard he called, "Adar! I am leaving something for you, if you can hear me." He set the bag down.

Logic told him to continue up the beach further and repeat his announcement, but his instinct told him that he had been heard. He returned to camp and his sons tossed themselves into his arms, begging for their promised story.

The next morning Glorfindel handed him the satchel he had left in the cave, now empty. "This is yours I believe."

When they left the sea two days later Cirdan pulled him aside. "If I believe he is in the area I will leave things, food and clothes and such, for him."

"Thank you," Elrond replied.

His tone must have conveyed his surprise at the offer because Cirdan said, "I know he would have helped someone in such a way if needed." A hint of pride slipped into his voice when he added, "I cannot allow a Kinslayer to be better than I."

Elrond thanked him again, and felt better about leaving his foster-father behind.

* * *

Ada – Dad

Nana - Mom

Elleth – Female Elfling

This is my first attempt at these characters, so please forgive me if they seem odd.

A note on Maglor - I've read several fics where he doesn't eat because of guilt (it seems to be a popular opinion) so I'll explain why I described him as being pudgier. I stress eat, and so I passed this trait onto him. Also I imagine that he handles the paperwork of running things and watches the twins, whilst Maedhros would be the one dealing with the army and doing stuff. Just a thought - if anyone has thoughts on this, please I'd love to know.

Also - Is there anywhere that says an elf couldn't be a little fat, I know none of them are (but that might just be today's society). Anyone who's read more than me know?


End file.
